About Me

My name is Debbie Agnew. Together with my husband Tom, we own and operate Bella at Home. We are located at 62 South Main Street in Waynesville Ohio. We offer rustic home decor and silk and dried floral arrangements and wreaths made from our own original designs. We hope you enjoy reading our blog. Here you will find stories and photos from when we first started this journey and as it continues. Thanks for allowing us to share with you.

Monday, January 6, 2014

2014

We are so thankful for the success we had in 2013 and for all of our many blessings. It's hard to believe that we are going on our 4th year in business at our store location and we appreciate the continued support we receive from all of our family, friends and loyal customers. We are excited about the changes we have planned for 2014 and can't wait to see what the New Year has to offer! Stay tuned...

Monday, April 15, 2013

SPRING 2013

I used to think I had a favorite season but now I have decided I love them all.  Each one is unique and brings about their own special blessings.  Summer is so much fun with all of the outdoor activities, swimming and fishing being two of my favorite.  Fall is always so refreshing when the heat of summer has passed.  I love all of the colors of Fall and taking walks in the woods.  Winter holds my favorite holiday of Christmas and special family times.  And then there is Spring!  With all of the fresh new flower blooms and singing birds.  I also love the colors of Spring with all of their brightness and cheerfulness.  I love to decorate for each season as well and with Spring coming upon us I have been busy busy making new wreaths.  Here is a sample of what I have been designing. 

Monday, April 1, 2013

New Sign 2013

With our new name came a new sign. I love using old doors as displays inside and outside.  There is something about them that makes me think of home and of all the wonderful family events and memories that happen beyond those doors.  So with that in mind I knew that was what I wanted to use as the backdrop for our new logo.  I took a picture of one of our display doors and along with my idea, I contacted Sign-A-Rama in Lebanon to see if they could come up with a new sign for our store.  What you see here is the finished product...we just love it!  Hope you like it to!   

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Welcome to "Bella At Home"

We started our journey almost 5 years ago when I started working from our home garage designing fresh flowers for weddings and other occasions.  As our business grew we realized it was time to expand our product and our space and after much prayer we found a place in downtown Waynesville with wood floors and wood ceilings, which was perfect for the rustic feel we wanted to achieve.  So in November 2010 it became the home of "Bella Garden Florals".  A lot of things have changed over the last few years including the direction in which we wanted to take our business.  Our main focus now is our silk and dried floral arrangements and wreaths, which we create from our own original designs and a variety of rustic home decor.  Because of the change in direction and the growth we have achieved, we wanted to update our name to something that would convey more of what we are about...enjoying the warmth of home.  So welcome to "Bella At Home".  We can't wait to move forward and are committed to offering you the same exceptional service and merchandise to help make your house a home!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

New Porch Display October 2012

Thank you to my wonderful husband Tom for making a new platform for my grapevine trees, hanging the new door display and shutters.  He is always willing to help me at our store and works so hard to make sure that everything is done just right.  He is amazing and I am so thankful to have him as my partner in life!  Thanks Tom!!!  Now we are all ready for Fall and Sauerkraut Festival!

Thankful!

15 years ago this October 1997 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was one of the most difficult times in my life and one that affected me like no other. It changed me and my life forever. With that said, I have to say that the blessings that came from that trial were some of the greatest I ever received. I am so very thankful that I am still here today, to have lived a full life over the last 15 years, to have seen my two sons grow into fine men and to have had the opportunity to live life with my wonderful husband. I thank God and praise Him for the blessing of each day.

Alex and Rachel September 21, 2012

I was so thrilled to design the flowers for Tom's nephew Alex and his adorable wife Rachel! Alex and Rachel are one of the sweetest couples I know. Both are so caring and thoughtful and you can just see how much they love each other. We would like to wish them an abundance of love and happiness as they share their life together. We love you both...Uncle Tom and Aunt Debbie.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Fall 2012

I love the mild weather of fall when the nights are cool enough to snuggle up with your favorite blanket or cozy up before a fire. You can be comfortable in an old pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I love taking walks and hearing the leaves crackle below my feet and I love the vibrant colors...reds, yellows and oranges. Fall is also one of my favorite times to attend outdoor activities such as picnics and fall festivals. And last but not least I love to decorate our home and store. It has been so much fun the last few weeks receiving and displaying all of our new fall merchandise. If you get a chance, stop in and see what new items we have...HAPPY HARVEST!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

4th of July 2012

Happy 4th of July!  We are so appreciative of all of the men and women who serve and have served our great country...especially my dad!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Another Great Find!

In looking for ways to make more display space, Tom & I found this old cabinet.  There were wheels on the bottom of the cabinet and it was in desperate need of a paint job.  After Tom removed the wheels and a fresh coat of green paint was applied it made a great hutch for the top of the table we have in our store.  It is now in place and loaded with goodies!  Love it!!!

Monday, June 11, 2012

New display pieces!

I love changing things around in my store and I love trying to come up with new ways to display our merchandise. However, due to the small space we have, sometimes this can be a challenge. After making a call to my friend Dawn, she came over to my store and gave me some wonderful suggestions and also gave me an idea on where to obtain some new display pieces. So one Friday evening Tom and I climbed into our truck and headed out. After an hour or so of shopping we came up with 4 new pieces to bring into our store. The first piece was a post from an old front porch. When we found this our first thought was "what a great display piece for our birdhouses and humingbird feeders!" We totally love the fact that it still has the old house numbers on it. Tom added stakes to it for hanging items and then he and James brought it over to the store. Then I added the houses and feeders...we love it!!! We also bought an old door. The only thing it needed was a good cleaning and then it was ready to be brought over. We decided to use the door in-between our two tables as a wall to hang wreaths and swags. I love the cozy feeling it adds to our store. We still have a table hutch and a pair of shutters to paint. I can't wait to bring them over next!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Ashten's Wedding April 28th, 2012

On April 28th, 2012 I had the privilege of designing flowers for Ashten Hurley's wedding. I have known Ashten ever since she was a little girl and our family's have always been close friends. It was a beautiful wedding and I am so glad that Tom and I were able to attend. Not only did we get to be a part of the wedding but we saw some old friends that we used to attend church with, John and Karen Stevens and their family. We had a great time! Just wanted to post a few pictures to show how the flowers go from bucket to finished product :-)



Monday, April 9, 2012

Women in Business Networking Top 25 Women to Watch 2011

I was so honored to have been dominated by Jodee Ball of JP Ball Photography as one of Women in Business Networking's Top 25 Women to Watch in 2011. The Top 25 Women to Watch program recognizes women for their leadership, community service and professional achievements. I was humbled to be included with 24 other influential women from the Miami Valley area. A member of the Advisory Board, Jeanne Porter, delivered my award to me at my store. What a pleasure it was to meet Jeanne and an honor to receive my award from her personally.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Easter 2012

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love buying gifts for everyone, I get so excited I can't wait to give them out. I love decorating and spending time with family. I cherish so many of my Christmas memories and am thankful for them. But most important is knowing that my Savior was born on Christmas. With that said, as much as I love Christmas and the peace that it brings, Easter is my time of renewal. Knowing that Jesus came on Christmas but on Easter He suffered, died and rose again for my sins so that I would be forgiven is my hope. For that I am thankful and amazed! Happy Easter everyone...I hope you found your hope!


The Easter Lily symbolizes purity & freedom from sin through Jesus' death & resurrection. With its fragrant blooms & cheerful white blossoms not only do we enjoy the beauty of this flower but it is also a symbol of hope.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Pink Peonies

Just can't get enough SPRING !



Monday, March 12, 2012

Wreaths, Wreaths, Wreaths

I have been having so much fun creating new Spring wreaths with all of the bright and cheery colors of the season! Here is a peek of what I have been making :-)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Ready for Spring

We are having such mild weather for this time of year. Over the last few weeks it has been so warm that I took advantage of it and started getting our porch ready for Spring. I love to decorate with purples and greens in the Spring. As you can see I used purple geraniums in the grapevine basket and in the grapevine pocket wreath arrangement I used a mixture of purple and green flowers. There is something about those two colors together that gives you a warm inviting feeling. I can't wait to get some fresh flowers to put on the porch too. I definitely have Spring fever !!!

Monday, February 27, 2012

New Blessings !

My family is so very excited...my niece and nephew are expecting their first child in about 1 month. It is the first baby we have had in my family since my youngest son was born 22 years ago. My sister had a baby shower for them and I made the centerpiece arrangements using silk grass and fresh gerber daisies. I love gerber daisies, looking at them just makes you smile ! All of the guests received an arrangement to take home.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Spring News

Our website has been completely updated with new photos and new music. We are very excited about it and hope that everyone enjoys visiting our site. Make sure to visit at www.bellagardenflorals.com

The weather has been so mild this winter and it has definitely put us in the mood for Spring. Our new merchandise has been arriving daily and we can't wait to share all of our new items. I've also been working on new wreaths and arrangements...lots of bright colors to brighten your home. I love Spring it is always a time of renewal and hope.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Website !

We have totally re-done our website and are very excited about it. It has a whole new look and we can't wait to reveal it to everyone!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

2012

A new year has begun and we are looking forward to serving our customers in 2012. We have a lot of plans in the works including a new website and new merchandise. Our Christmas decorations are all packed away for another year and we have begun rearranging the store and preparing for Spring. So look out 2012...here we come !

Christmas in the Village

Waynesville's Christmas in the Village is my favorite event of the year! The weather was perfect all weekend and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. Our customers received a special treat as Tom's friend Rene beautifully played guitar for us on Friday evening. We had a special visit from Who Dey the Cincinnati Bengals mascot and the men's quartet entertained us with their wonderful harmony. It was a perfect weekend !!!




Sunday, December 11, 2011

It's Christmas...my favorite time of the year !!!

How sweet is our stuffed "Let it Snowman" !





Love our blossom bucket figurines...aren't the snowmen adorable !!!

We have beautiful lanterns this year in red, black and cream.

Monday, November 21, 2011

1 Year Anniversary

Thank you to everyone who came out over the past weekend to help us celebrate our 1 year anniversary. We are so thankful to each and everyone who has helped to make our business a success. I especially want to thank my husband Tom...I could not do this without him!!!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

What's Happening !

Wow I can't believe how long it has been since I have added a new post! I have just been sooo busy with the store and weddings that I haven't had much free time. Here's what's happening at Bella Garden Florals...November 21st is the one-year anniversary of our store opening so on Saturday November 19th we are having a celebration to thank everyone for their support and encouragement. We will have refreshments and a free gift that will be handed out to the first 40 customers. We are looking forward to our second year in business. Thanksgiving weekend we will have extended hours. We will be open from 11:00-7:00 on Friday Nov 25th & Sat Nov 26th. Hopefully that will make shopping more convenient for our customers. The weekend after Thanksgiving is Christmas in the Village. We have a lot of new merchandise arriving daily and we have been working very hard making Christmas wreaths and arrangements. We are here to help you decorate your home and shop for all those special people on your gift list.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Store Re-model !

We have been in our store for 9 months now and we decided we needed to make some changes in order to create more space. Tom worked so hard getting everything moved and into it's new place. He also added latice to the porch and he made a platform for our grapevine trees and baskets to sit on. We are so happy with the new look and already feel it has made a difference in the way our customers can move about in the store. Thank you to my wonderful husband who always works so hard !!!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Barn Quilts

I am so excited about our new Barn Quilts. They are locally handmade and handpainted in Germantown Ohio and can be ordered in different sizes and patterns. What a wonderful addition they make to our store and we are so happy to have them !

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Frogs !

Blossom Bucket is a supplier of our miniature figurines and I just love them...especially these frogs ! Aren't they adorable !!!

Old Barns

My Dad was from Sandy Hook Kentucky and I am so blessed to have such wonderful childhood memories of our visits to the farm. It was a longggg 4 hour trip especially for a young girl who was anxious to arrive so she could start running, playing and riding horses. I remember on our trip we would see tons of old barns along the way, especially ones with Mail Pouch Tobacco advertisements on them. So naturally when I saw this print, I knew it was one I would have to carry in our store. It may even need to come home with me :-) I hope this print helps you to re-live some old memories just like it does for me.

Monday, August 1, 2011

New Look !

Ahhh...after 2 years, I thought it was time to make a change. I hope you like the look of our new blog !

God Bless America !

We are so thankful for all of the men and women who serve in our armed forces. I am especially proud of my father who served in the United States Navy in World War II. Thank you Dad for your service and for all of those who fight for our freedom !

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Views From Inside Our Store

Things have changed quite a bit since we first opened last November. Take a look at how we've grown ! What a blessing !!